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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Deptford Albany Posters Exhibition

There's a nice exhibition in the cafe at Deptford Albany (Douglas Way, SE8) of posters advertising gigs there in the early 1980s, designed by Colin Bodiam ('Bo'). Posters featured include The Flying Pickets...

The Raincoats (legendary post-punk band), who played at the Albany in December 1981. The poster says 'first week of music', presumably this was just after the new building opened in Douglas Way. The old Albany Empire in Creek Road was demolished to make way for a road widening (as well as being damaged in a suspected fascist arson attack).

'World Music Hits Deptford' with gigs by dub poet Michael Smith, Rico (ska trombonist who teamed up for a while with The Specials. I saw him a couple of times in the early 1990s playing in Mingles, a pub in Brixton's Railton Road) and Bobby McFerrin (best known for 'Don't Worry, Be Happy')...

Other posters on display advertise gigs by Squeeze, Richard Thompson, Martha Reeves and Defunkt. No sign of the Lee 'Scratch' Perry & The Upsetters poster shown in the latest New Cross Gate Post. The exhibition runs until Christmas Eve.

Colin Bodiam was born in 1945 and grew up in Blackheath. At one time he was the music critic for IT (International Times). His biog, displayed at the exhibition, also mentions 'other activities in the early seventies including supplying rock stars at Underhill Rehearsal Studios in Blackheath Hill (A Ziggyfied David Bowie: 'it's not for me, it's for the band")'. The posters were mostly printed by silkscreen in a room at the Pink Palace on Crossfields Estate. Mark Knopfler helped print an early poster for a gig by Dire Straits, using 'feminist enclave See Red Women's Workshop'.

2 comments:

Thanks for the link to Bo's photos - they are quite a treasure trove! I was disappointed to see that the only poster I wanted to bid for was already sold, but I understand there may be more being unearthed over coming months.

Absolutely love the Raincoats and Mary Wells posters, and I noticed some great ones for Richard Thompson and Nico when I was at the Albany earlier this year... I don't suppose they've got any plans to sell some prints..?

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